Privacy on the Internet
Key Terms & Concepts: privacy, encryption,
anonymous, privacy policy, personal information
Should you be able to remain completely anonymous online, without even the
government able to identify you?
Despite all encryption (encryption is running data through filters. One
filter scrambles the message, a second unscrambles it) policies and legislation,
the best way to keep your personal data private is to be aware of the dangers
and to protect yourself.
Bad guys will always try to steal your credit card
number, telemarketers will always pay someone for your phone number,
and companies will always try to collect data for advertising purposes. Such
is the way of the world.
Some Suggestions For Protecting Yourself:
1. Take advantage of anonymity. Chat under a name
that belies your age and sex the best your can (i.e. JaneDoe15
is bad and bluelagoon is better).
2. Feel free to use more than one e-mail address. Send personal
mail from a separate address than you use for business or school related subjects. If
you are provided e-mail through school or work, you probably realized that
it is hard to be anonymous as jdoe@shs.k12.il.us, especially when your identity
screams "Jane Doe 03". There are dozens of e-mail providers online from
the popular Yahoo! and MSN Hotmail to the less well known services at Blazemail
and Ramen Freemail. All of these will allow your to enter a pseudonym
as a sending name and require you to tell the service only your real zip code.
3. Never arrange to meet anyone you have met online without telling two
or three friends or family members where you are going, who you are going
to meet, and when you plan on being home. Meet in a well lit public place
and inform family and friends of any changes in your plans. You weren't
born yesterday. Just because they say their name is Jane and they are
15 doesn't mean their name isn't Rob and their age is 37.
4. Read a web site's privacy policy before
sending them personal information. And remember, some web sites
sell information to mailing lists or advertisers - your information
is valuable, at times, financially. Reject cookies that do
not return to the original domain.
5. Only give out your most important personal information (such as your
social security number, or your credit card number) on a secured server. If
you would not feel comfortable putting the information on a post card, you
should not be sending it online with a more encrypted format. And, while
encryption helps tremendously, be aware that no encryption is perfect.
6. Use common sense. If someone gives you the creeps in real life,
you wouldn't give them your phone number, right? Exercise the same logic
online. Just as you wouldn't wave about a cash filled wallet, don't be
careless with a credit card number. You wouldn't hand your key to a random
stranger who said he was a locksmith, don't give just anyone your password.
New
encryption laws for e-mail unlikely
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/10/06/BU201648.DTL
Constitutional
Basis for Privacy
http://www.netatty.com/privacy/privacy.html#basis
Invasion
of Privacy
http://www.netatty.com/privacy/privacy.html#invade
